Feeder for mill machinery



(No Model.)

- R. M. NAKE.

FEEDER FOR MILL MACHINERY.

Patented June 23, 1885.

FIGJ.

Nrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD M. NAKE, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

FEEDER FOR MILL MACHINERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,811, dated June 23, 1885.

Application. filed February 18, 1855.

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

. Be it known that I, RICHARD M. N AKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county ofJacksou and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Feeders for Mill-Machinery, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved automatic feeding device, part of the hopper of which is broken away to expose the screws. Fig. 2 is an end view of the hopper, showing the driving mechanism for the two screws. Fig. 3 is a view of the opposite end of the hopper, showing the devices for regulating the feed automatically. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through Fig. 1, taken in the plane indicated by dotted line :0 x on Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section taken centrally and vertically through the hopper.

This invent-ion relates to automatic feeding devices for graiu-crushing roller-mills and other machines, as will be fully understood from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawings.

A designates a hopper of suitable capacity having inclined sides a a and vertical ends, a a This hopper is mounted on or forms a continuation of a case, B, in which are two parallel horizontally-arranged rollers, O O, which are adapted for crushing or grinding grain or other material. The shaft 0 of one of the rollers, O, is extended through a suitablejournal-box in the end a of the case B, and has keyed on it a belt-pulley, b. On the shaft 0 is also keyed an eccentric, D, which transmits oscillating motion to a screw, E, through the medium of a pitman-rod, F, and a lever or crank arm, F. This screw E may be constructed with any desired number of helical threads suitably pitched, and it is located at the throat of the hopper A, just above two quarter-circle valves, G G, which are pivoted at c 0, so that they can be opened more orless according to the desired feed of grain to the crushing-rollersO O. The object of the oscillating or axially reciprocating screw E is to stir the grain at the throat of the hopper, feed the grain through the throat evenly, and prevent clogging. The pivots c (No model.)

a have their hearings in the ends of the case or the hopper, and at one end thereof short slotted arms (1 d are keyed to said pivots, the slotted or free ends of which arms are connected to avertically-movable rod, H, guided by brackets h h fixed to the. hopper A. On the screw-threaded portion of the rod H two thumb-nuts, h if, are applied, the upper one, h, of which bears against the bracket h, and the lower one, h of which bears upon acoiled spring, t, confined between the latter nut and the lower bracket, h. The upper end of the spring-actuated rod His pivoted to the shorter arm of an angular lever, I, which has its fulcrum at i. The longer arm of said angular lever I is held by the spring 11 and its rod H against one end of a horizontal shaft, J which is located near the top of the hopper A, and provided with screwshaped propeller-blades j. (Shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 5.) The shaft J is endwise movable, and the pitch of the blades j and their rotation is such that when they act on the body of grain in the hopper they will press outward the long arm of the angular lever I, depress the rod H against its spring 2', and thereby more or less increase the opening between the valves G G, and consequently increase the rapidity of the feed. As the level of the grain in the hopper lowers and less resistance is ofi'ered to the blades j, the spring i will raise the rod H and the space between the valves G G will be diminished, thus diminishing the feed. The shaft of the propeller-blades 7' receives rotation from the pulley b by means of a belt, b, and a pulley, b.

It will be observed from the foregoing that, by means of the thumb-nut If, I am able to adjust the valves G G for giving any desired feed of grain or other substance, and that such feed will be maintained as long as the level of the grain in the hopper is below the propellerblades j; but should the level of the grain in the hopper reach the said blades the resistance ICC from overflowing or being filled too full of grain or other substance.

Any desired primary feed can be obtained by adjusting the screw h against its bracket 5 h. The spring will also yield in case any hard substance should pass between the valves. 1 thus effectually prevent the clogging of the feed. I11 carrying out my invention I do not confine myself to rollenmills for crushing cereals, as it is obvious that the feeding portion of the machine above described may be used for other purposes.

Having thus described my invention, what I r claim as new is if 1. In a roller-mill, the combination, with a hopper, of pivoted feed-valves in the throat thereof, a feeder above these valves, a rotary propeller-shaft movable endwise by the action of the grain on its blades, and the springaetuated adjustable devices between the propeller-shaft and the said feed-valves, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The combination, with the hopper of a 2 5 roller-mill, of a feed-screw and means for imparting motion thereto, the valves pivoted be low said screw, an endwise movable rotating shaft bearing propeller-blades, a verticallymovable springactuated rod, adjustable as 0. described, an angular lever, and slotted arms connected to said rod, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the hopper, the valves G G, the rod H, the spring, the nuts and guides, the angular lever I, the slotted levers, the endwise-movable propeller-shaft, and means for effecting its rotation, substantially as described.

4. In a roller-mill, the combination, with the hopper and crushing-rolls, of a screwfeeder, the endwise-movable propeller-shaft, and feed-valves and connecting devices, substantially as described.

5. In a roller-mill feeder, the combination, with the crushing-rolls, the hopper and the endwise-movablepropeller-shaft, of the spring actuated red, the adjustable nut h, applied to said rod for adjusting the tension of the spring, and the feed-valves, substantially as described.

-6. In a feeder for mill machinery, an endwise-movable propeller, a hopper, and valves, substantially as set forth, in combination with a screw-feeder and an adjustable tension device, as described.

7. The combination, in a roller-mill, of a hopper, an endwise-movable rotary propellershaft, pivoted valves, and connecting devices actuated by said propeller, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD M. NAKE.

WVitnesses:

WILLIAM A. GARNER, G. l/V. BALLOCII. 

